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Hurricane Leslie (centre) and Hurricane Michael (right) are seen in this NOAA handout satellite image taken September 6, 2012. Michael has become the first category three hurricane of the year with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and Leslie is drifting north at 2 km/h towards Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center
NOAA/Handout

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Logan Buras, 11, surveys parts of an old ship uncovered as the beach eroded during Hurricane Isaac in Fort Morgan, Alabama, August 31, 2012. The mystery vessel, which has been uncovered several times after hurricanes, is thought to be either a civil war blockade runner or a schooner used to run liquor during prohibition according to local news reports.
Reuters

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“They say this is worse than usual,” said Mr. Chipman, 53, who has been through several floods. “This one is pretty bad.”

He watched the raging river from a bridge where police set up a roadblock to prevent traffic from entering the community.

“I guess we’ll have to see if they let us go home. If not we’re going to have to find different lodging for the night,” he added.

“I’m not the only one. There’s people here with children and that’ll be a little hard on them.”

Mayor Bob Taylor of the Municipality of the County of Colchester said 22 people had come to emergency shelters in a local church and the Bible Hill Fire Department, and six people had registered to stay overnight.

Water levels began rising early Monday in the North and Salmon rivers near Truro, which remained under a rainfall warning as Tropical Storm Leslie churned toward Atlantic Canada.

Mr. Taylor said dikes in both rivers gave way, flooding some roads in and out of Truro and the adjoining village of Bible Hill.

“It looks like a big pond,” Mr. Taylor said in an interview. “A lot of places are quite flooded.”

Mr. Taylor said some people were asked to voluntarily leave their homes, but only a few had chosen to do so.

A high school was evacuated before lunch as a precaution.

Bethany Walsh, 20, a college student, was anxiously awaiting word if she’d have to leave her home next to the fast-moving Salmon River as water began moving into her backyard.

“One of the dikes broke again. It’s the worst it’s been,” she said.

“I am concerned. It’s our first house.”

The Canadian Hurricane Centre said up to 100 millimetres of rain was expected over eastern mainland Nova Scotia by Tuesday.

With more rain in the forecast, Mr. Taylor said officials were keeping a close on the rivers.

“The big thing is to make sure the people are safe and keep the place secure,” he said.

“We’ll be watching and if we have to do more, we will.”

Justice Minister Ross Landry, who is also responsible for the province’s Emergency Management Organization, visited a flooded area of Bible Hill and spoke to a restaurant owner whose basement had two metres of water in it.

“It definitely is a concern because of people’s livelihoods being negatively impacted,” he said.

Lenore Zann, the NDP member of the legislature for the riding of Truro-Bible Hill, said her own basement flooded at 2:30 a.m. and the bottom of her street was closed off.

“I have a feeling that it’s going to get a little worse before it gets any better,” she said.

Mr. Taylor said the municipality had received reports of limited property damage and many flooded basements.